Tropical Storm

While many were sleeping, the water was rising unknowing to them. The area had been hit hard by Tropical Storm Washi. The storm dropped over the usual month of rain in only a 12 hour period on Mindanao. The trail the storm traveled is a rarely traveled one. A storm only travels that direction about once every 12 years.

As the water flowed down the mountains Friday night, many people awoke to water in their homes. They quickly grabbed up children trying to get to the roof of their homes or to neighboring homes to avoid the rising water. Many are missing. Whole villages were washed away. Victims have been left unclaimed possibly meaning that the whole family was swept away.

 

Victim of the storm

Children of families that survived are still looking for Christmas to happen. Parents are wondering how but plan on still doing their best to provide them with a Christmas celebration.

Most that died were in the cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro. Many bodies have been found floating on the shorelines on the north western coast line of Mindanao Island. They are thought to have been sleeping when the waters hit and drowned.

Tropical Storm Washi has left behind flooded streets full of debris, people in many areas have no electric or fresh water. Many people are now living in shelters where there is not enough room. There are approximately 100,000 people who have had to go to shelters, not able to return to their homes.

Washi has moved on, but other storms are lurking and may be bringing in even more rain to the already saturated area.

 

Indonesia Boat Heading For Australia Full of Migrants Sinks

It is possible that there were close to 400 people on board the boat bound for Australia’s Christmas Island. It is where many go go seek asylum.

The boat, made out of fiberglass, broke apart is the rough waves approximately 55 miles outside of Java. There were more than 250 people and possibly as many as 400 on board. They are thought to be from Afghanistan, Turkey, and Iran. At this time only 33 had been rescued according to reports. Fishermen found them hanging onto parts of the boat. Two children were found. Their ages are 8 and 10 years old. People rescued reported they had been in the water for over 5 hours.

Rescue operations are continuing for possible survivors, but the weather has made it hard to see if there are any out there still.

It is possible that only 20 or 30 people were able to get lifejackets on once the boat was known to be going down. The boat only had 25 lifejackets on board and it was reported that 9 of the jackets were given to crew members.

At this time, the number who have perished in the accident is unknown.

 

 

168 People Die from Drinking Toxic Moonshine in Eastern India

The people possibly responsible for the deaths of 168 people in West Bengal which is located in the eastern part of India, have been arrested. There are 10 people being held for selling the moonshine, which was illegally produced and was also toxic.

Many more people got very sick from drinking the moonshine which was sold for about 10 cents a pouch. A pouch contains  200 milliliter or less than 7 ounces. When the liquor is made in a legal way, the least it sells for is close to 70 cents for a 600 milliliter container.

More than 100 people had to be admitted into the hospital after drinking the moonshine. They found methanol in the bodies of the people who died after drinking it. The drink was appealing to the poor people of the area and they are the main ones who drank it.

 

 

Popularity: 2% [?]

Deadly Explosion at Military Base in Iran

There were 17 soldiers that perished in an explosion that happened at a military base close to the capital of Iran, Tehran. 12 others people had to be transported to near by hospitals. The blast was earsplitting, breaking windows of close by buildings and was heard by people as far as 25 miles away.

 

The fire from the explosion, which happened when there was a group of weapons being put inside a Revolutionary Guard depot, was still burning 2 hours after the blast. Traffic was tied up on near by roadways. It was a large portion of the depot that held weapons that exploded. At this time they are unaware of what caused the explosion. People are still in a shocked state.

A few people are stating that there was another explosion that followed the first on Saturday. Others are stating that they thought the explosion was a minor earthquake. They were letting no news reporters on the scene at the time. At first they were saying 27 had died, but the number has been lowered to 17.  It is being treated as an accident.

 

11 Die During Shelling of Yemen

 

In Taiz, there were 11 people who died during the shelling of Yemen while the government forces battled with resistance members. There were many more injured, some were civilians. It happened while a United Nations emissary was visiting Yemen. Jamal Benomar is pushing for the transition of power to put an end to many months of conflicts.

 

The protest started back in January of 2011 over President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s long term rule of 33 years. Protest against Saleh have increased in Taiz the last few weeks. Taiz is Yemen’s second largest city. It is located about 120 miles on the south side of the capital of Yemen, Sanaa. The most recent protest started on Thursday. On Thursday, there was one person that perished in the protest and many others wounded. Two of the residential areas had been blasted by the security forces overnight. The two areas were the front of the battle grounds of forces against the government. They are Zaid al-Moshki and al-Rawda. Also the Freedom Square was a part of the area being shelled.

On Friday, it was reported that 3 women and 2 children were amongst the dead.

 

In The Uk, 150 Home Flooded

 

There were as many as 150 dwelling flooded in the West Midlands as a water main busted in the early morning hours. It caused the flooding of many homes in the Blackwood Estate area in Streetly. The South Staffs Water company became aware of the burst at around 05:30GMT and put their engineers to work on it immediately. Some of the water was a deep as 3 feet in areas.

One woman,  who found 5 feet of water in her basement heard a loud roar of water. Sheila Howard stated, “It frightened me to death because I’m here all alone.”

Many others spoke of a loud noise from the incoming water. One man was shocked electrically as he was standing in water, and a lady was injured when she fell.

There are firefighters trying to help out the residents. There is work going on clearing drains out and keeping gullies clear to allow the water to flow out of the estate area.

 

 

 

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Residents of Bangkok Leaving Flooded Homes

In Thailand, the worst flooding in a half century has sent residents leaving their homes taking with them all their possessions they could. Floods have now taken the lives of 320 people and there are close to 9 million affected by it. The water continues to flow and with it comes the destruction of homes, stores, other buildings and possessions. People were out walking in the water that was as high as their waiste with plastic bags containing belongings perched on their heads. Many also holding on their pets for lack of a boat.

 

 

The opening of the floodgates took away any possible relief the area was hoping to have. They are hoping that opening the gates will take some of the pressure off the dams and levees possibly sending it out to sea. They are hoping the water will remain in the canals and not spill out into the streets of the capital city area. The army has brought in 100 boats to assist people trapped in homes.

 

 

As Many as 60 Die in Heavy Rainfall in Central America

The rain continues to pelt down on Central America, already taken at least 60 lives, it is showing no sign of letting up any time soon. El Salvador has been the hardest hit so far by the rainfall. There have been as many as 32 people that died there which included many children. As residents tried to cross the flooded rivers, many would get swept down river. Others died when their homes fell in around them.

Guatemala is also being heavily affected by the rains. At this time, there have been 28 people die in the flooding. There are another 110.000 that have been affected by the heavy rain that doesn’t seem to have an end.

 

 

In Honduras, the situation is much the same. Most of the countries departments have been put on alert and at this time 13,000 people have been affected.

Ever since Jova hit Central America’s shores last week, the country has been being blasted with heavy rainfall. It hit as a category 2 hurricane, but then settled down into more of a tropical storm and later a tropical depression as it crossed the western parts of Mexico. All the while another tropical depression, 12-E dropped heavy rainfall to El Salvador and the neighboring areas.

It continues to rain and no relief is on the way yet.

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Thailand is experiencing the worst flooding in 50 years.

283 people have so far died in the flood waters in Thailand and there are two people they are still searching for. Across the county, 61 of the 76 provinces have felt the affects of the flooding. This has caused havoc to over 8 million people.

 

Water is being let out of the Bhumibol Dam daily which is located in the northern part of Thailand. People are moving as fast as they can to get barriers set up. The flooding waters are moving towards the south, heading towards Bangkok on Friday. People living in the area are being instructed to be ready for the worst as the spring high tide and the large amount of water draining down the Chao Phraya River join together over the next few days.

 

Huge Oil Spill in New Zealand

In New Zealand, a massive oil spill from Rena, a Liberian-flagged vessel that ran into the Astrolabe Reef, which is close to 12 nautical miles off the coast of Tauranga is causing many problems. The vessel was carrying 450,000 gallons of fuel spilling around 300 tonnes of it. At this time 95.45 tonnes of the solid waste and 6 tonnes of the liquid that has been cleaned up. There is s till more out there.

Beaches in many of the areas are closed to visitors due to health concerns. There is close to 60 kilometers of beachfront area along the town of Maketu to the town of Mount Maunganui that is contaminated from the oil spill.

The environment is suffering from  the spill. So far 500 birds have been found dead in the area. 51 animals are being treated for the exposure to the oil at a center in Tauranga.

Oil spills at sea are such an impact on the enviroment. This spill,  along with affecting people and business’s in the area, is also affecting, birds, the blue whales, and the dolphins are all at risk.

 

23 Die in Clashes in Egypt

 

 

Clashes between Coptic Christians and soldiers in Cairo end up in bloodshed, injuries and 23 deaths. Of the dead, 17 are civilians. Late on Sunday, Oct 9th, it was told that there were 180 people wounded. There were 12 military members killed and 50 were wounded.

 

The protest followed the burning of a Coptic Church a week earlier in the southern parts of Egypt. The protestors were asking for equality and for the protections of Coptic churches or places they worship in.

The protest started off peacefully. As they were heading in the direction of the Egyptian state TV building, they were attacked by people bearing swords and clubs according to a protestor.

 

 

Car Bombs in Iraq Take 28 Lives

 

There were 2 cars filled with explosives that were set off only minutes apart on Oct 12th in Baghdad. 22 people died in the bombings set off by suicide bombers in the north west Hurriya area and in the central al-Wiya area. There were 6 other people that died in other bombings.

There were over 50 others wounded in the attacks.

There has been a revival of suicide bombings in Baghdad. It is a concern as the US is finalizing it’s withdrawing of their troops that is suppose to be completed by the end of the year.

 

 

Popularity: 3% [?]

In the Philippines, just as many were starting pull their lives back together from Typhoon Nesat, a typhoon that had taken the lives of 52 people on Tuesday, Typhoon Nalgae moved in on Saturday morning.

 

 

The initial damage started in Dinapigue. Nalgae dropped 0.6- to 1 inches of rainfall per hour as it traveled through the Philippines area. The two typhoons together have changed the lives of for nearly 3 million Filipinos. Landslides, flooding, closure of roads and bridges are also hampering getting people out or relief in. Many of the ports had to be closed temporarily but were to be reopened on Sunday.

 

 

People were being evacuated from Santa Barbara, Calasiao, and Dagupan which is located on Luzon island. On Sunday flood gates had to be opened to release pressure of water being they had reached their top levels. While there were people receiving help with recovery from Nesat, the first typhoon, it had to be stalled while the second typhoon made it’s way across the area. Many people are unable to cook food or have fresh water to drink. There is a great need for ready to eat food and drinking water. There are no supplies in the area for survivors to purchase, even though they have the funds needed.

 

 

 

As the Philippines are cleaning up from the typhoons, in Thailand, four long months of ravaging floods have taken the lives of 237 people. They are gearing up for the typhoon Nalgae which has lost some of it’s power after hitting the Philippines and is now a tropical depression. The country is already water soaked and more rainfall will only result in more flooding. The flooding has been felt in 28 different provinces and over 2 million people have affected by it.

 

 

Many of Thailand’s  historic buildings and tourist sites have been affected by the flood waters.

 

 

 

Typhoon Nesat in China affected over 2 million people. Of this number, 132,2000 people had to be evacuated out of Nanning which is the capital of the area. Nesat hit China on Friday following it’s ravaging of the Philippines. Flooding of the Qinjiang River, which is amongst 5 rivers that have surged to dangerous levels, has overflowed it’s banks. Flood waters have entered Qinzhou causing roads to close due to being under water. There have been thousands of homes destroyed along with thousands of acres of farmland. As Nalgae entered China last Tuesday, it was now a tropical storm and not nearly as devastating as it had been in the Philippines.

 

 

China is still in the stages of cleaning up from Nesat, but will now be faced with days of rainfall from Nalgae.

 

 

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After many parts of China have gone without rain since last October, they are now being evacuated out of their homes before flood water sweeps them away. The flooding is hitting the central and southern parts of China.

Heavy torrential rainfall has caused rapid flooding that has taken the lives of 14 or more people in the south western Guizhou province.

There are many people that are missing and ten thousand have cleared out of their dwellings prior to the flood waters hitting.

There have been roads washed out, bridges damaged and hundreds of houses and vehicles destroyed in the raging waters.

The drought that lasted for months had already left the country without much needed crops in the central and northern parts of China.

Since June 3, raging flood waters have swept through 11 cities and counties according to the provincial civil affairs located in Guizhou.

There have been possibly over 270,000 people that have been affected by this flooding. 45,000 left their homes and another 3000 are stuck where they are.

Even though it is raining now, there is no good outlook for the crops. A shortage is in the forecast and that may cause food prices all over the world to go up.

In China, the fear of a food shortage is being lessened as the officials are letting the people know there is enough food in reserve to take care of there needs.

Food prices in China have already been on the rise for months now.

 

Popularity: 7% [?]

The Mississippi River continues to rise and cause major trouble for people along it’s way. Now the US engineers are notifying people that they are going to open up the Morganza Spillway to allow the water to enter onto 3 million acres in Louisiana. This is in order to prevent the water from entering into large metro areas along the river. It is to happen this weekend and causing as many as 25,000 people to have to leave their homes.

Opening this spillway will reduce some of the pressure being put on the levees protecting these metro areas. This is the highest the Mississippi has gotten to be in decades. In Louisiana it is the worst flooding since the flood of 1927.

The spillway is to be opened in the next 24 hours giving residents time to evacuate their homes and prepare. It will be a slow release of the water, not like a flash flood.

If the spillway is not opened to release the pressure on the levees, Baton Rouge and New Orleans could experience water of 20 feet deep.

The water will be diverted into the Atchafalaya Basin. It will flood farms and their homes in this Cajun county. They could be put under 10 to 20 feet of water.

After a period of time, the water is planned to run south out of the area and into Morgan City where it will empty into the Gulf of Mexico. At this time to protect Morgan City, they are working on strengthening the levees there.

People are being told to move out of the area as if they do not plan on returning. Move everything.

Farmers are loosing their entire crops which would have brought them high prices at the market this year.

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Twelve people died over the weekend as hillsides came down and covered up homes, cars and just anything in its way.

In Igrejinha there were 7 people from one family killed when their homes were overcome by the mud. Also in Novo Hamburgo there were 3 children who lost their lives when their home was also covered in mud from the slides.

In Rio Grande do Sul there has been a state of emergency issued in 7 different towns.

The abundant rainfall in southern Brazil has caused havoc with some 40,000 residents and has left hundreds without homes to return to.

Rescue operations are underway. They are trying to get people to leave any areas that are questionable as to if a landslide could happen.

Flooding is happening around and within Porto Alegre which is the state capital of Rio Grande do Sul. There have been cuts to the electrical power there.

For now there could be dry weather which will help dry things out a little. Rescue operations will be able to search a bit easier without the torrential rainfall, but near the end of the week, the rain could be returning.

Popularity: 6% [?]